CM 11

The newest snapshot build of CyanogenMod is rolling out now, and it's a bit of a jump from the last version. This is the first snapshot based on Android 4.4.4, and it brings a few new features. Now that the M builds are essentially the stable channel, it's probably time for CM users to get flashing.

When you go around flashing ROMs, you have to expect that things might occasionally go wrong. The previous milestone build of CyanogenMod 11 seemed fine at first, but then Google released the 4.4.3 update. Devices that were eligible (Nexus phones, for example) started producing update notifications, which shouldn't happen on a custom ROM. This was more troublesome than a notification that wouldn't go away, though.

If you used to play around with CyanogenMod Nightlies, but switched to the more stable M-series releases, it has probably felt like forever since M6 hit the scene. Well, M7 is hot off the compilers, just in time to fill that insatiable need to flash your phone or tablet. Don't forget, the M-series has officially taken the place of Release Candidates and Stable builds, so this is considered the most reliable version of CyanogenMod available.

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One of CyanogenMod's most popular features is an expanded version of the now defunct App Ops UI that debuted in Android last summer. The most recent nightly builds of CM have implement a new ability in App Ops. Users can now stop apps from starting up with a simple toggle.

If you're not quite brave enough for nightly builds, but aren't content to wait around for stable ones, CyanogenMod's M builds might be just right. Today you can grab the latest M3 build of CyanogenMod 11 (KitKat) straight from the source. It isn't available on every device quite yet, but it's only a matter of time.

The M builds are "snapshots" of the ROM that are released about every month. There are fewer bugs than nightlies, but the polish from a release candidate or stable build might not be there.

Update: The Oppo N1 isn't alone. CyanogenMod 11 nightlies are available for the Find 5 as well.

You can get your hands on an Oppo N1 with CyanogenMod pre-installed. Really, it's the first phone to have this as an option, and there's a good chance that's the only reason you even know which phone I'm referring to. Yet as cool as that is, for Android tinkerers, there's just one problem - it's too outdated.

It's been almost exactly one month since the CyanogenMod team published its first build of Android 4.4 for Nexus devices, and now the second M or "snapshot" release is rolling out. This time CyanogenMod 11 is going out to a much wider subset of the officially-supported device list, with most of the big players in the Nexus, Galaxy S4, and HTC One lines getting M builds, among many others. You can check to see if your device has a CM11 M2 ROM available at the download page.

Just yesterday the Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10 all received their first nightlies for CyanogenMod 11. Now KitKat-flavored builds are rolling out for a slew of additional devices. The team has shared a list of devices with incoming nightlies, and while it isn't yet an exhaustive list, it does include multiple variants of the HTC One (m7att, m7spr, m7tmo, m7ul) and LG G2 (d800, d801, d802), as well as the international Galaxy SIII (i9300).